3.31.2009

Small Trip

Today we made a trip down to Tri-Cities. The main reason behind the trip was to get the Tahoe cleaned and detailed - it was a mess. But also we went to see Grandma and the kids got a huge treat of being able to see Grandpa too - which was not planned.

We left the house this morning at 9:15, so I could stop and get a coffee (which I desperately needed since Josh was up from 3:30-5am) and then be into town by 11. I dropped my car off and my mother in law picked us up, I transferred car seats and then we headed to the mall for some food and play time. I was able to do a little shopping by myself - thank the heavens! Then we headed to my in-laws' house and the kids played there and ate and had cookies - thanks Grandma!

It was a really long day for us - especially since the detailing took almost 5 1/2 hours (but the Tahoe is spotless and looks brand new, so it could've taken all day for all I care). But the kids did great. I was worried about how they'd do, with no naps and all - but much to my surprise they did awesome. Maddie slept a little on the way down, but didn't show any hints of getting crabby until right before we left.

Josh kept saying that he wanted to spend the night at Grandma and Grandpa's house, but I'm not sure anyone is ready for that yet :) So we left at 5:15 and got home at 6:45 - so a really long day - but now I'm looking forward to doing it again because today was great. And of course the kids fell asleep as soon as we were on the freeway! I wish that I could have taken a picture of what they looked like. Grandma had given Josh a cookie to eat on the way home (what I was thinking after all it took to get the car clean, who knows?) and he fell asleep with it still in his mouth. Too funny.

But we're home now, after being gone for 9 hours. I gave the kids a bath when we got home, and now I know I can do this by myself if I have to. Brad is working late again, so I'm all on my own - but I'm doing it.

3.30.2009

Peek...Aren't you curious

Please check out this website Ask Design Mom Week to enter for a $300 shopping spree from Peek...Aren't You Curious.

This is worth a shot, and the clothes are so cute - I had to try.

Tired, tired, tired...

Today I'm tired. Just plain tired. I'm tired of being the housekeeper, the cook, the dishwasher, the diaper genie, the garbage collector, the toy picker upper, the laundromat, the teeth brusher, the bedtime story reader, and the human velcro since my kids seem to think they need to cling to me every waking minute.

Well it's just been one of those days. Mommy needs a break! I'm sure all of you mommies out there can relate and have one of these days more than you'd like to count, but today I've just had enough and can't wait to go to sleep.

3.26.2009

Overdue Pictures

I finally put the kids' table in the house.

Playing outside with her horsie.

Josh in his truck.

Josh and my niece. The cousins had a great time playing together.



Mohawk mania!

3.22.2009

One Step Closer

Well we finally did it, we broke down and got WA license plates. And it feels weird to say that because when we lived in Utah, I wanted my WA plates back. And now I didn't want to get rid of my Utah plates - whoa! It's a small thing, but I actually liked the Utah plates (the newer ones) more than my WA ones. Oh well. My tabs were due the end of this month, so we had to get it done on the Tahoe and Brad will take his car in sometime soon. Brad also got his license switched over, and I'm dreading doing mine. I LOVE my picture on my Utah license. It was taken before I had kids (so I was still skinny) and I had long, beautiful hair. Vain, yes. But, it was before I had spit up all over my shirts, before I wore sweatpants and sweatshirts all of the time, and before I cut my hair short to accommodate getting ready faster to take care of the kids. A time when my hubby and I could go out to dinner, go to the movies, sleep in, and be alone. And I guess getting my license changed over is losing that part of myself all over again. It's a little thing with big meaning, for me anyways. Oh well, it must be done, but I'm not going to be happy about it one bit.

3.20.2009

Visitor

Well my mom came up for a visit today, and I am very happy to report that we had a really good time. The kids absolutely loved it and it was a great change of pace for us. It was just a really great visit. There weren't too many things to get annoyed at, because if you know my relationship with my mom - it's a little stressful/tense, sometimes, so I never know how things are going to turn out - what she might say, etc. But the things that were annoying were just little things. So a great day for all!

It was a nice change of pace for us, like I said. Josh has been out of school all week for conference week, and Brad's parents still haven't been back up - so it was really good to see my mom. Plus, the kids had a great time with her too. She got here early and just left - and Josh was really sad to see her go. But we'll be seeing her in 2 weeks for Josh's birthday, so we're looking forward to it.

3.18.2009

Josh and School

Well today was parent/teacher conferences. I had two of them since Josh was going to 2 schools. The first was at the new school, and that one went well and everything seems to be right on track. The second one was a little more substantial - since it's through the school system. Josh has been doing speech therapy for a little over a year now, and the progress has been tremendous! So with his birthday coming up, and I know I've mentioned this before - but they had to re-evaluate him.

So that was done last Wednesday and I am happy to report that he no longer qualifies for services! I have to keep telling myself that this IS a good thing, but I just absolutely adore his teacher and the speech therapist. So it was a little hard telling them goodbye - and I feel a little sad for Josh because he doesn't really understand that he's not going back. Just the other day when he walked into the class he asked, "where are my boys?" It was too cute. They said that we'll see how it goes next week, but maybe if he wants to come in and say goodbye we could - but we'll see.

But some other good news is that we're at the top of the list for next school year - so he'll have a guaranteed spot in the tuition-based slots. So that makes me feel a lot better. And the speech therapist also works with kids in the 4 year old program so she can look in on him from time to time. I feel good. The teacher, speech therapist and school psychologist all say that his teacher next year is a really good teacher and it will be a good fit for him. And also with him staying with the school system, it will be easier for them to place him with the right teacher for kindergarten. So it's all working out in the end. Phew!

3.17.2009

Happy St. Patrick's Day






3.16.2009

Maddie and the Swaddle

So, Maddie is finally done with her swaddle, *gasp*, I know. Some of you out there might be thinking, oh my gosh - she is still swaddled?!? And yes, she was. This little girl holds on to some things longer than Josh ever did, and one has been the swaddle. She learned to maneuver quite well being swaddled, Josh didn't. She could move around all she wanted (I know hard to imagine, but she did), and she loved it. She slept so well being swaddled, I was scared to break the habit.

I meant to get her out of being swaddled before we moved, but that didn't happen. And then, I kept thinking to myself - well how long would we be staying with my in-laws? I didn't want to try to get her unswaddled then because it was already a change, and then it would be another change when we did finally move into our own house. I wanted the transitions to go as smooth as possible, which leaves us where we are right now.

Long story short, she is finally sleeping without her swaddle. I started last Monday, just on her naps. And she did a lot better than I thought she would. She didn't sleep nearly as long as she normally does for either of her naps, but that was okay - I knew it would be a little rough to start out. The first two nights, she slept pretty good, but woke up several times and I ended up putting her back in her swaddle when she couldn't quite go back to sleep. But each morning I found her little arms out, so I knew we had to keep going and that she was ready. So then next night, she slept all the way through the night - and that was that. Now that we're a week out, when I put her to bed - she gets her binkie (I'm not ready to deal with this one yet), gets her baby and blanket, I tell her to lay down and she does - and she's ready for bed.

It's a great feeling for me now that she's not swaddled, because before I was the only one that could do it. My mother-in-law learned, but I still always felt that I needed to be home to put her to bed when we were living with them. So now, Brad or his mom, or a sitter will be able to put her to bed.

3.12.2009

Sick and Tired - II

Ok, so yesterday I got the parts to my vacuum that I ordered on the 23rd of February. I open them up and of course, they are the wrong parts. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, but it doesn't make it any less frustrating. I get online, again, to find out where I can buy this part - and none of the stores carry it anymore. So I call eu.reka again to tell them that they sent me the wrong parts. So the lady has the gall to tell me that I ordered the wrong part and that it's my fault. Oh no she didn't!

Then I went through the lengthy process of explaining to her what I ordered - as seen on my email receipt. Then she tells me that the warehouse is out of the particular part that I need, so they are replacing it with the parts that they sent me. Um, what? The part they sent doesn't fix the problem that I'm having. I needed the dust cup filter - I can't close the lid on the canister and put the canister back into the vacuum without this filter. She said, well what we sent you goes over by the on/off switch. Um, again - what?!? It's not something I need, I didn't order it - because, why would I order something that I don't need. Then I tell her, well I'll just order it from somewhere else - could she tell me how to send it back and get a full refund on my account. She said that she would transfer me to the return department, and that's where I still stand. No one has called me. So check back for part III.

3.11.2009

One of those days

Today was just one of those days. Everything started out just fine, but slowly started to unravel. Josh got to school on time, no less. I had a little conference with his teacher, we set up another conference for next week - which he'll be out of school for all of it, since it is conference week. Then I needed to run to the store really quick to get a few things to make dinner. Umph! That took forever. I figured I didn't need to put Maddie in the cart since I needed 2 items. Well I thought wrong. The checkout took forever, Maddie was squirming, I kept dropping the stuff I did have, and my arm felt like it was going to fall off.

We got home. I put Maddie down for her nap - which the nap thing hasn't been too successful lately, since I'm not swaddling her anymore - but that's another post by itself. So she took a short nap, was really crabby, and then it's time to go pick up Josh. Check, done.

We get home, long story short - I need to find a new pediatrician for the kids. We don't have a family doctor here, dentist, eye doctor, etc. So Brad's cousin gave me the name of the doctor that her family uses. I looked them up online, to make sure that our insurance was accepted there, and it was. So I was like - yes, we know this doctor is good, and we'll get in. Wrong. The 1st doc I try - isn't accepting new patients, but the #2 choice is. But...they no longer take our insurance. So I call another office that I found in the phonebook, and find out they are only pediatric specialists, so that's a no go - but she does give me the number for another "good" office. They aren't accepting any new patients. So I call the doctor that we found in Tri-Cities, and I need to make an appointment for both kids (Maddie for her 15 month, and Josh for his 4 year - that way I only need to make the drive once). Of course, I can't get them in until after Josh turns 4, so Spring Break week is out. And I'm not sure if Josh will still be going to school 4 days a week, so on the safe side, I asked if they were open on Fridays - yes, but he doesn't do well-child checkups on Fridays. Crap. Back to square one. Frustrating to say the least.

3.10.2009

We're late, we're late

For a very important date. But seriously, we're ALWAYS late. I hate it. I hate. being. late. And it never fails. No matter how much planning I do, no matter how early I get ready, or get the kids ready for that matter - we're always late. One excuse that I will use, is that I haven't really figured out how long it takes to get places. Especially living where we do, and there being a lot of big trucks on our route to, let's see - anywhere. But that's the only excuse that I will use.

For instance, this morning - I wanted to leave the house by 8:45 to get Josh to school by 9. I'm ready, Maddie is ready, Josh is ready - and we're about to walk out the door. Then Josh tells me that he has to go pee, and then it turns into #2. ERrrr! I'm glad that he went before school, but why, oh why do we have to cut everything so close. It never fails. Most of the time, it's Maddie having a poopy diaper, Josh can't find his shoes, I can't find my purse, etc. I'm always losing something. But last night, I got everything ready ahead of time - put my purse on the coat rack by the garage door, picked out Josh and Maddie's clothes, and had everything else that we needed by the door. I also got up earlier than normal to get in the shower and to get ready. But we were still late. I just hate having that rushed feeling, and I don't like the kids to see me getting rushed, or me rushing them. So tomorrow I'm going to start the getting ready to walk out the door process 30 minutes before we have to leave, instead of 15. We'll see how that works out.

3.06.2009

Small Town Living

Today we had planned to make a trip down to Tri-Cities for my sister's birthday. Spend a little time down there and go out to lunch. But with her having pink eye - that was out. So we didn't have any plans, and I had been wanting to make a trip to the mall so the kids could get out of the house, I could get out of the house, and it would be something fun.

So we made it to the mall, no problems. I told Josh that we were going to eat lunch first and then he could play on the toys - I just assumed they would have some toys to play on. We walk into the mall, go upstairs to the food court and I just about died. The food court consists of 3, yes 3, places to eat. A pizza place, a Chinese place and a sub place. Wow! So luckily the sub place was there so we could at least order some fries for Josh, because he won't touch anything else.

We ate and then it was time to go to the play area. Another wow. It was about the size of our dining room and only had 3 toys to play on. Nice. Hopefully we'll find something better to do once the weather warms up a bit.

Sick and Tired

I'm so sick and tired of things breaking around here or needing to be replaced. It just seems like it's been a lot of stuff within the last month, and with all of the stuff that we've already purchased for the new house - it feels like we're spending money left and right.

First it was our vacuum cleaner - somehow the filter got thrown away. I don't know if I did it (which I must have been having a dumb moment) or if one of the kids got it. The point is, it got thrown away. Now we can't use the vacuum without the filter - the canister won't fit into it's spot. We looked at various stores to buy one, and no luck. So I got online and ordered 2 of them, just in case it happened again. Well I put my order in on the 23rd, and STILL have not gotten them yet. Long story short on this - I called, they got everything worked out, but I still might not have it until next Friday. Crap.

Second is our camera. Not a huge deal on this, we just need to buy a new battery. I've been trying to charge the battery, but it won't hold a charge, so I still need to do that. Another $40 later.

Third is the microwave light. Again, not a huge deal - but it's still really annoying. We do have a lot of light, but both of the smaller burners are in the back. And it still makes it hard to see back there, even with all of the light. So now we need to go buy another light for that (hopefully we can find it in some store, because I haven't had much luck ordering parts online lately) and another turn table. The one that's in there now is too small.

Forth is our printer. Now, I guess this one doesn't really count because the problem has been resolved - but it took a while, so I'm going to put it down. In the move, we somehow lost the printer power cord and the AC adapter. Couldn't find it. We looked everywhere we thought it would be, and no luck. So I had to call Hp to get both of those ordered. If I had needed to order those - it would have been about $60 with shipping and tax. So for another $20 or so we probably could have just purchased a brand new printer - but there was nothing wrong with this one. So again - long story short on this - I had wanted Brad to hang the kids' pictures in the hallway like we had in Utah, and lo and behold - the power cord was in that box. Why was the power cord to the printer in a box with all of our pictures? Who knows. All I know is that I didn't pack that box, but I know who did. Frustrating.

3.03.2009

Josh and School

Where, oh where, do I begin? Well Josh is doing really well in school. He has come a long way with his speech therapy. He is talking in 3-5 word sentences now, is saying more and more complex words everyday, and has just made huge leaps forward - it's truly amazing. I'm so proud of him.

My problem begins with the fact that since he is on an IEP (Individualized Evaluation Program - I think that's what it stands for) - he has to be re-evaluated by his birthday, which is quickly approaching. Since moving up this way and starting his new preschool, the teachers there think that he may not qualify for services - which is really good, but bad at the same time. Since he might not qualify - there is nothing within the school district here for him to be in. The class that he's in now is only for students who qualify for services. Now don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled that he might not be needing anymore speech therapy - but the thought of him not being in school until the fall is scary for me. Especially since we live where we live now. We haven't met any kids his age, except for his cousin, so there isn't too much socializing going on.

So they have another preschool program here that goes hand in hand with a gym class. The kids go outside everyday, do gymnastics everyday, but still do a lot of academic stuff. Well when I called to see if they had any openings - they did, but only one. And I've heard such great things about this place, so I know those spots go fast. So since I wanted to have a back up plan, I signed him up for this as well. I didn't want him to not be in school until the fall - because it would be a long 6 months! And I didn't want to lose the one spot that was available. To make a long story short - Josh will be going to school 4 days a week now. His regular school on Mon/Wed and the other school on Tues/Thurs - until the school district re-evaluates him. And then if he does not qualify for services, then he will only be going Tues/Thurs.

Now I'm feeling a little guilty about sending him to more school. I feel guilty that I might be pushing him too hard or that it will be too much. But he absolutely loves school. He asks to go everyday! He just needs more - more time with other kids, more activities to keep him busy - but I still feel guilty. Guilty that I'm in part doing it for myself, because I do need more of a break from him - guilty, guilty, guilty. We'll just have to see how it works out and see if he likes it and how well he adjusts.